Collapsible cellular carton



June 5, 1951 w. H. INMAN COLLAPSIBLE CELLULAR CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed May 8, 1948 JNVENTOR WILLIAM H. INMAN ATTORNEY June 5, 1951 w. H.INMAN 2,556,083

I COLLAPSIBLE CELLULAR CARTON Filed May 8', "1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fla.4.

INVENTOR. WILLIAM H. lNMA/v ATTORNEY Patented June S, 1951COLLAPS'IBLEiCELLULABIGARION William, H. Inman, *Newark,ji N. Y.,assignor to Bloomer: Bros. Company, N ewark, N.1 Y., a, corporation'of.New-York Application May 8, 1948, ScrialN0. 2.53877 1 Claim, (Cl.229-28)v This invention relates to collapsible cartons made of cardboardor other foldable material and, more particularly, to the cellularvariety thereof adapted for holding eggs, fruit, cakes and other fragilearticles, one object of the invention being to provide an improvedcarton of this character having a more rigid, economical-and convenientconstruction and mode of operation.

Other objects, more particularly stated, are to provide a carton of thisnature having a construction in which parts of the blank, after beingcut and scored, are temporarily held flat in the plane of the wall fromwhich they are cut' so as to avoid the engaging or snagging of the partsof one blank with those of another and thus prevent the injury of such'parts and theentanglement of the cartons and the clogging of themachinery during manufacture and during the subsequent handling of thecartons; to provide a carton so constructed as-yto insurezaccurate,folding, positioning and interengagement of the parts during theerection of the carton and thereby increase its rigidity and strength,and to provide a carton having, the above. advantages in a constructionwhich is capable of being readily manufactured at relatively low cost.

To these and, other ends the invention resides in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claim at the endof the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cardboardblankcut and scored for folding toform a carton embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary pIan'vieW of the parts afterbeingfoldedand glued and in partially erected condition before swinging thetransverse partitions to upright position;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the erected carton with the cover shown inopen position in full lines partly broken away and shown in its closedposition in broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the transversepartitions swung to upright position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, plan view of the carton in collapsed condition,and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation of one end of the collapsed blank. 7 Thepreferred embodiment of" the invention, herein disclosed by way ofillustration; comprises a one-piece blank, indicated generally atI;h-aving, in order, a cover flap 1 I, cover l2, rear side wall I 3,rear bottom section i 4, longitudinal par- 2. tition portions i5 and r6,front bottom section l1, front wall I8, transverse partition wall l9,and attaching strip 20.

Cover flap l l is provided with a series of hooks, as 2|, for engagementwith gusset parts hereafter described on the front wall 8, for holdingthe cover in closed position. The blank. is scored along lines 22 and 23to facilitate accurate folding of the flap relative to the cover l2 andof the cover I 2-relativeto the rear side wall I 3. Heavier score lines24 and 25 are provided for folding the side-walls I3 and I8 upwardlyrelative to the bottom sections I4 and I1. Bottom section M has formedtherein a series of longitudinally spaced, U-shaped cuts, as 26,connected by score lines 2'! alongwhich the longitudinal partitionsection I 5is folded upwardlyas shown in Fig. 3, the cuts 26 producingfeet 28 -vvhioh are thereby thrown downwardly to hold the inner edge ofthe bottom section in elevated position relative to asupport,,for-cushi'oning the contents of the container. Tliebottomsection is further formed at each of these feet with a pair of L-shapedcuts, 29 and 30, to provide a flexible flap 3!, for purposes hereafter'described.

The bottom sections l5 and It are divided by a central, longitudinalscore line 32, along which these sections'are reversely folded to lie injuxtaposed relation against each other as they are folded upwardly fromthe bottom sections along score lines, as 21, to provide the central,longitudinalpartition, as hereafter described. These bottom sections arealso cut to provide a longitudinally spaced series of notches 33 withintervening standards or; posts 34. The other bottom Section I! is cutand scored to produce the same folding score line 21 and the same seriesof feet 28,;and associated parts as described above in connection withthe other bottom section M.

The front wall 18 is foldably connected at its top with the-transversepartition wall l9, which is cut and scored to produce a longitudinallyspaced seriesof transverse partitions 35. To this end-each partition issevered from the front wall along intersecting lines -3E- and 31,leaving between adjacent partitions a space 38 which is left unseveredbut marked off by a score line 39 to control bending at this space in astraight line joiningtheends of the adjacent cuts 35 and 3'! of-adiacentpartitions as shown in Fig. 2. Openeng's' ware cut toseparateadjacent-partitions so that they are formed withupper edges 4| and loweredgesAZ. A score line 43' in line with beyond each end of upper edge 41controls bending in a straight lineextending between the end 'gitudinalscore lines 39.

The other ends of the transverse partitions 35 I and the attaching strip283 have formed therebetween the same cuts and score lines as describedabove between the other ends'of the partitions and the front wall I8 andeach partition 35 has its lower edge 42 shaped to produce a centralprojecting portion 45. Each partition has a central cut 46 extendinginwardly through this projecting portion and the material is scoredalong lines 41 at opposite sides of this cut to make its sides flexible.Cuts 46 extend'part way across thepartitions and the remaining portionof the material is scored as at 48 to enable each partition to be foldedcentrally on itself in the collapsed position of the carton, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6 and hereafte described.

It is to be noted that each end of the lower edge 42 of each partitionis left connected with the adjacent gusset 44 by a narrow web ofmaterial 49 lying between the end of the cut 35 and the opening 40between partitions. This web is wide enough to afford a substantial connection between the corners of the partitions and the gussets, whilebeing readily frangible by presslllg the lower portions of thepartitions downward for swinging them to upright position. During theerection of the carton and before being broken to swing the partitionsupright, these webs maintain a sufficient continuity of the transversewall comprising the partitions, longitudinally and transversely of thecarton, to pull it, including the gussets 44, to a substantially flatand horizontal position folded about the lon- Thls accuratefolding andpositioning of the gussets provides an accurate hinge axis through thescore lines 43, to insure accurate and symmetrical engagement of thepartitions with the posts 34 of the longitudinal partition and preciseand reliable engagement of the projecting portion 45 of each partitionin the bottom openings left by the downturning of the feet 28, as wellas accurate spacing of the front and rear walls. The frangibleconnection of the ends of the bottom edges of the transverse partitionswith the sides of the gussets opposite the hinge lines 43, rather thanwith the side walls of the carton, has the further advantage that, inswinging the transverse "partitions downwardly before filling the cells,they may be cleanly broken away from the gussets without any peeling ofthe cardboard surface as would be the tendency if the frangible webs 49were connected to the tops of the side walls of the carton.

In the known construction in which the partitions have been severed fromthe gussets in the cuttin of the blank, the gussets have been leftwithout sufficient connections to insure their accurate folding tohorizontal position and the subsequent swinging of the transversepartitions to upright position has tended to hinge them about indefiniteand variable fold lines tending to cross the gussets intermediate thescore lines 39 and 43, with the result of improper positioning of thepartitions and insecure engagement thereof with the longitudinalpartitions and with the openings in the carton bottom. By the means ofthe present invention, an accurate shaping of the erected carton isobtained, as Well as the secure interengagement of its transverse and;longitudinal partitions for securing the parts closely in their intendedpositions and maintaining the rigidity of the carton.

In the folding and gluing of the carton, the blank is preferably foldedto bring together the longitudinal partition portions l5 and I6 whichare glued to each other. The front wall and transverse partition wallare folded against these 7 portions and'the rear half of the transversepartitions are folded about the lines 46 and 48 over the posts 34 whichare thus projected through the lines or cuts 46 of the partitions. Theattaching strip 20 and the rear wall is are then brought and gluedtogether, the blank being thus disposed in the flat collapsed positionshown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which the webs49 hold the transversepartitions in the plane of the material so as to prevent the partitionsfrom projecting and snagging the machine parts during manufacture andthe cartons from becoming.

entangled with one another during subsequent handling. 7

In the erection of the carton for use, the bottom sections !4 and H areseparated, the longitudinal partition being maintained in uprightposition by the engagement of its posts 34 in the cuts 46 of thetransverse partitions, the latter being pressed downwardly tosubstantially horizontal position. Such unfolding of the. blank spreadsor forces the side walls apart to their substantially upright, erectedposition, the inner edges of the bottom sections being held elevated bythe feet 28 depending from the longitudinal partition, so as to elevatethe inner portions of these sections to cushion the carton contents. Thetransverse partitions and their gussets being thus brought tosubstantially flat horizontal position, asdescribed above, thelower'edges of the partitions are pressed downwardly to break the webs49 and swing the partitions to upright position. The proper positioning,as described, of the gussets and partition hinges, insures precise interengagement of the notches of the transverse and longitudinalpartitions and of the projecting portions 45 of the partitions in theopenings in the bottom sections left by the down folding of thefeet 28.The flexible flaps 3| at the sides of these openings facilitate thedownward folding of the feet and entry into the openings of theprojections 45 on the lower edges'of the partitions. After filling thecushioned cells thus pro duced, the cover is folded over about the scorelines-22' and 23 and the hooks 2! of the cover;

flap are engaged beneath the gussets at the top of the front wall toconnect the cover in the closed position while supported at its centerby the longitudinal partition. 7

It will thus be seen that the invention accom plishes its objects andwhile it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of apreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure isintended in an illustrative,- rather than a limiting sense, as it iscontemplated that various modifications in the construction andarrangement of the parts will readily occurto those skilled in the art,within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A cellular carton in collapsed form made of foldable blank materialcomprising longitudinally extending, transversely spaced side walls, abottom wall foldable about the longitudinal center line thereof andhaving its side edges foldably connected with the bottom edges of saidside walls, respectively, a transverse partition wall foldable about thelongitudinal center line thereof and cut and scored to form a series oflongitudinally spaced, transverse partitions and substantiallytriangular gussets foldably connected with the ends of the upper edgesof said partitions and with the upper portions of said side walls andforming a hinge along one side of each of said gussets about which saidtransverse partitions may be swung to upright position to divide thespace between said side walls into a series of longitudinally spacedcells, said partitions each having each end of the lower edge thereofconnected by a frangible web with the adjacent 15 Number to swing saidgussets to a flat horizontal position about the folding connectionsthereof with said side walls to maintain the accurate spacing andpositioning of said side walls and partitions in the erected conditionof said carton, said webs being readily frangible for swinging said.partitions to upright position.

WILLIAM H. INMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,540,369 Scotcher June 2, 19251,614,972 Scotcher Jan. 18, 192'? 2,333,181 Inman Nov. 2, 1943 2,387,314

Cox Oct. 23, 1945

